


Achilles, Heel!

by Diafiedj23



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 11:28:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18827782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diafiedj23/pseuds/Diafiedj23
Summary: Kikyo, the beautiful queen of Edo, has long been at the mercy of her husband and King, Naraku. Prince Inuyasha destroys an alliance years in the making to set her free, and sets in motion events that may very well be the undoing of his father's Kingdom in the West. Sess/Kag Inu/Kik





	1. Chapter 1

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose discreetly against the smell of ale and lust. Raucous laughter irritated his ears, and beside him, King Naraku raised an overfull glass of wine.

 

“To peace!” the spider proclaimed silkily as the gathered revelers cheered. “Tonight our honoured guest, Prince Inuyasha of the Western Isle, joins us to celebrate our new pact with the Inu no Taisho!”

 

Wild rejoicing filled the room as lords and generals of various station stomped their feet and hollered, and in spite of himself, Inuyasha smiled. The path to peace had been a long and slippery one. How long had his father worked tirelessly for this? Naraku had ever been treacherous and grasping, but at last the balance of power hinted at the possibility of a lengthy respect.

 

Inuyasha sat back as Miroku leaned past him, sharing a joke with the spider hanyou that made him tip back his head and laugh. The monk had been his closest friend and his father's most trusted ambassador for over a decade, and his skill at setting enemies at ease was surpassed only by his skill with women. Smirking, Inuyasha recalled that Miroku had charmed very many women since they had arrived to Edo. 

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naraku turn a draw his finger through a silky lock of black hair. The woman at his side closed her eyes in submission to the caress, and Inuyasha's smirk twisted abruptly into an ugly frown. Recalling himself quickly, he looked away into the crowd and schooled his face to blankness. Kikyo of Edo was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and the resigned apathy on her face twisted in his gut like a knife.

 

How he loathed the man he was breaking bread with. Loathed his every breath, and loathed even more the sight of his filthy hands on such a pure and faultless girl. 

 

Inuyasha had thought he knew what love was, but he knew as sure as the setting sun that he would die for her if she only asked it. 

 

But Kikyo would never ask it, never dream to ask it. His dreams were twisted and desperate. In them she begged him to take her away to some safe place. In them she loved him as much as he loved her. 

 

Sometimes, their eyes met and his breath froze in his lungs. Sometimes, he knew she did love him, as surely as the sun would rise. 

 

But it was madness. Madness as sure as the insanity that lurked in his demon blood, sealed only by tetsusaiga's power. What would his father say? What would he tell his King, after so many years of working for this peace?

 

Golden eyes dull with resignation saw none of the merriment before him. Fate burned the air to ash in his mouth.

 

The party went on well into the early hours of the morning, but it was scarce midnight when his eyes followed Kikyo as she slipped back through a doorway that led through the servants quarters. How skilled she was, his heart ached, to be so talented at moving unseen and unheard. 

 

Clawed fingers clenched into the arms of his chair, and Inuyasha forbade himself to follow. Only tonight. Just this one night left in Edo, and he would spare himself and his father the dishonour that called his name. 

 

He closed his eyes, and it was a mistake. Her face filled his vision, the dark pools of her entrancing eyes sinking into his soul and clenching around his heart like a vise. 

 

He opened his eyes, scouring the room. Naraku, filth that he was, had two arms full of serving girls, nevermind that his wife was a vision of loveliness. Miroku was occupied telling ribald stories to a few drunken officers. 

 

With a flash of silver hair, the hanyou prince disappeared into the darkness that had swallowed Kikyo whole.

  
  
  


The shoji screen door slid open quietly, and Kikyo turned, heart beating wildly until her gaze landed on the western prince. Treacherously, her breath slowed to a halt, and Kikyo simply stared into those smoldering eyes that had burned into her these past three days. The door closed behind him, and she forced the air out of her lungs even as her hands trembled.

 

“You shouldn't be here,” she heard herself say. 

 

She may as well not have said anything at all, for she was sure the breathless waver in her voice gave away every desperately hidden weakness for him.

 

Gleaming orbs of gold held her captive, but Inuyasha neither retreated or stepped forward. She knew, in her heart, he was as helpless against this as she was. Turning her face away, Kikyo closed her eyes as tears slipped unbidden past her defences.

 

“Please,” she begged, though she knew not for what, and she heard him hiss as if in pain at the word. In a breath, she felt his heat near to her. Not touching, but tangible and reckless. Something desperate and wild and holy that she could never taste.

 

“Kikyo,” he breathed roughly, his voice raw, and her eyes snapped open. 

 

“Inuyasha,” she pled back, cheeks wet. “This… this cannot be.”

 

The pain in his eyes reflected her own, and Kikyo saw that he already knew. And yet still, he was here. Was such knowledge enough to stall this tragedy between them?

 

Slowly, he raised a clawed hand to her cheek, and she shuddered at the gentle caress as his thumb smoothed over tear tracks. 

 

“You do not deserve this,” he whispered softly. “Naraku is the lowest worm, compared to you, Kikyo.”

 

“I am no one,” Kikyo answered. “A temple girl that was sold to a King for being beautiful. Go back to your Kingdom, Inuyasha.”

 

His glowing eyes flashed in harsh rejection of her words. “It would destroy me to leave you here. Like leaving my heart behind.”

 

His words choked her, for did she not feel the same? As if her heart would sail away on a ship tomorrow? “I am not worth the price you would have to pay. And I am bound to Naraku with far more than a ring. You  _ must _ go.”

 

His brow furrowed, and his fingers quested downwards, lingering at her collar in a silent question. “You can't mean… that's impossible Kikyo. You don't… you don't love him.”

 

“All the same,” she whispered, turning away. “I am bound.”

 

“Let me see,” Inuyasha demanded, his fingers gripping her shoulder. “Show me!” 

 

She offered no resistance as he pulled her collar to the side, exposing skin and the truth. The breath he sucked in was horrified.

 

“You see?” She murmured dully. “I cannot leave this place. You cannot save me. No one can.”

 

The mark that crept insidiously beneath her fair skin was ugly. Black and writhing, it reminded Inuyasha of nothing so much as ink twisting in clear water, and as his fingers brushed it it stung him like the bite of a poisonous snake. 

 

White faced, he stared at the repugnant mating mark of the arachnid, and knew this was no bond of affection and equality, such as the one his father shared with his mother, Izayoi.

 

Never in his life had Inuyasha wanted to tear another's heart out so badly. 

 

“No.” He spat out. “No!” 

 

Trembling under his hand, Kikyo pulled her collar back up, reshielding herself in modestly.

 

“We cannot circumvent fate,” Kikyo told him. Told herself. “What is cannot be undone.”

 

Fate. Inuyasha stared down at her woodenly, the weight of his family's talisman heavy against his chest. Had Kagome known, Inuyasha wondered, as she had given him the gleaming jewel in those last moments at the docks?

 

Clawed fingers shook as he slipped his hand into his haori, drawing forth the gleaming gem on it's chain.

 

“You do not deserve this fate,” he said, as if in a dream. “I can prove it to you.”

 

“W-what is that?” Kikyo breathed, eyes drinking in the otherworldly beauty of the jewel as Inuyasha stepped close, drawing the necklace over his head.

 

“The Shikon no tama, a blessing from the gods to my family.” 

 

“It's wonderful,” she whispered, entranced by it's glow. “What are you-?”

 

“The Shikon possesses a quality of purity,” Inuyasha admitted lowly, eyes soft. “Only those pure of heart can wear it indefinitely. You see - it's darkened, being around my neck. It was given to me temporarily, for protection.”

 

Kikyo froze as he lifted the jewel over her head, slipping the necklace around her throat. “Wait-!”

 

The jewel flared to life, glowing so brightly it almost blinded her, and Kikyo gasped softly in awe. A moment later she hissed as the skin under her collarbone bubbled and shifted painfully. Yanking her sleeve down, she watched in shock as Naraku's hold on her was cleansed away. Her eyes darted back to meet Inuyasha's in shock as the ebb and flow of comforting holy power enfolded her. His eyes steady on hers, Inuyasha sank to one knee.

 

“Kikyo, queen of Edo,” he whispered. “You were never meant to live and die in a place like this. Choose  _ me.  _ I will protect you until the day you die, and follow you evermore, even into hell.”

 

“Inuyasha,” she wept, flinging her arms around his neck as he crushed her to him. His mouth sought hers and her surrender was as sweet as her guilt was bitter. Surely the gods would curse her for her selfishness. Surely her love for this prince would be her undoing, as she would be his. 

 

Kikyo knew as her Kimono slipped to the floor in a puddle of silks - as his fangs sank into the flesh of her throat and the pattern of pink cherry blossoms spread over her skin - there was no going back for either of them.

  
  


***************

 

Shallow waves crested quietly over her ankles, moonlight shining brightly on the quiet sea. This quiet,  Kagome knew, was deceptive. It belied a stirring on the wind that chilled her in her bones. Shivering, she pulled her shawl over her shoulders.

 

She didn't know how long she stood there, only that as she did so, disquiet grew in her heart. But the cold twinkling of the stars fixed her in place, and somehow, she knew there was some sign she was waiting for. Some definitive measure that would spell the god's will onto that brilliant sky.

 

At last, the pulse of her heart grew taught, and she closed her eyes.  _ Oh.  _

 

Faltering, fading; she stood there until the waning connection that tied her to Inuyasha flickered and died. Drawing a deep breath, Kagome let one single tear fall for the future that was beyond her now. 

 

_ Inuyasha. I'm so sorry. _

 

Under the light of the moon, Kagome stripped herself bare of her Kimono, reaching for the white and red that bound her to the service of the gods. 

 

Taking up her sacred bow, she drew back the arrow and let it fly, blazing pink in a vow of fealty that all the stars in heaven witnessed. 

 

As the last flicker of brilliant light died, the bow fell from her trembling hands.

 

Kagome sat down on the damp sand and cried until the sun broke the horizon.

 


	2. Chapter 2

~Edo~

“Where is she?” Naraku hissed dangerously at the trembling handmaid on her knees at his feet.

Shaking, she shook her head, not daring to speak even to tell him that she didn't know. Furious, he hauled her up by her hair, so angry he couldn't even revel in her shrill cry of pain.

“I will not ask you again, you insipid bitch! Where is she!”

“Lord Naraku!” One of his many soldiers called from the door. “My apologies, but we have news of the queen!”

Naraku whirled, throwing the girl brutally onto the floor. “Out with it, wretch!”

The human man flinched, but spoke on. “The crane youkai Benjiro, he saw her leave this morning.”

“Leave?” Naraku hissed. “What could you possibly mean, leave?”

“With the Western Prince...Inuyasha.”

“Inu…yasha?” Naraku echoed lowly in disbelief. “Inuyasha?” His voice rose. “You mean to tell me that the wretched mongrel of Toga's that passes for a prince absconded with my wife, and managed to escape my city undetected?”

_Not undetected._

“I want that crane flogged and executed. Have him at supper tonight,” Naraku hissed. “And as for that traitorous dog, I'll have him on his knees, and he can watch me fuck the bitch he stole from me before he dies.”

“Majesty,” the soldier stammered. “The treaty with the west-?”

A smile twisted across Naraku's snow white face and he laughed. “More fool I, growing complacent and forgetting nothing is won unless it is taken. I will raze the west to the ground.”

He swept past the bowing, simpering fools, the cacaughany of his laughter echoing harshly throughout the halls.

 

~The Izaiyoi, at Sea~

 

Miroku enjoyed sailing. A faint breeze ruffled through his uncharacteristically free hair, the sun warming the dark fabric of his robes.

The easy laughter of the men as they tended to the ship kept his heart light, and Miroku was proud at the accomplishment they had fulfilled at the bequest of their lord and King, Inu no Tashio. Peace had been a long time coming, and at last Edo and the West could traverse their mutual lands without fear.

Inuyasha, his oldest friend and his prince, came and stood beside him, hands braced upon the hull as he stared out into the ocean. Studying his face discreetly, Miroku felt himself disconcerted. Inuyasha's face was most often unusually open and unguarded, a fault that his tutors had tried and failed to correct for years.

At the moment, Inuyasha's countenance could only be described as...grim. A worrisome thing, when by all accounts, the prince should have been as lighthearted as Miroku himself was.

Placing a hand companionably on his friend's shoulder, Miroku grinned disarmingly at Inuyasha's wary glance.

“We have been friends for too long, Inuyasha. What's troubling you?”

The hanyou's mouth twisted in discomfort, lips thinning as he pressed them together. Glaring out into the ocean, Inuyasha finally sighed.

“Miroku I've... done something.”

Raising his eyebrows, Miroku waited for him to continue. Inuyasha had always been brash, rushing headlong into decisions that somehow always worked out for the best. But he rarely expressed guilt, or worry over his choices.

“Whatever it is, I'm sure it can't be as bad as all that,” Miroku soothed. “You never do anything for the wrong reasons.”

“You might not think so,” Inuyasha admitted darkly, still refusing to meet his gaze. “But even if it was the only choice…you might not forgive me. Father might not forgive me. And Kagome...”

Heart sinking, Miroku grasped Inuyasha by the shoulders and turned him, making him face him. “Inuyasha, enough games. What are you hiding?”

“...Come with me,” Inuyasha said finally, turning and walking away.

Miroku followed as Inuyasha led him into the large cabin that was the Izaiyoi's most luxurious feature, and then even further to the single private captain's room that was the prince's prerogative. Key in the lock, Inuyasha shot Miroku a resigned look of warning. Then the lock clicked open, and Inuyasha stepped inside.

Miroku ducked slightly as he entered, avoiding the low doorway and blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.

On Inuyasha's narrow cot, a figure stirred and sat up. Hair like obsidian spilled out from beneath hood and cloak, and Miroku's eyes widened as dark luminous pools peered out at him, filled with fear as Inuyasha crossed over to her and took her hand reassuringly. Tenderly, he swept the hood back from her ivory face and Miroku choked low in his throat.

Face guarded, Inuyasha met Miroku's eyes with steel in his own, shielding Kikyo with his body.

At last, Miroku found his voice.

“Inuyasha,” he whispered, horrified. Disbelieving. “What have you done? What have you done?”

“I couldn't leave her,” Inuyasha pled, his face twisting in raw remorse. “She...she's my mate. I had no choice. I couldn't leave her to Naraku.”

“This will mean war,” Miroku swore furiously. “Inuyasha, this will destroy everything your father worked for! Are you mad?”

“I know.”

The leaden weight of his voice - the weary finality - drew Miroku up short.

Exhaling harshly, Miroku dragged his fingers through loose hair, retying the low ponytail at the base of his neck. After several long moments of thought, he finally found the words to say.

“Your father will forgive you,” Miroku said quietly. “Only heaven knows the blood he would spill to keep Izayoi safe. He will understand.”

“...And you?” Inuyasha asked quietly. “Will you forgive me, brother?”

At the moment, Miroku wasn't sure.

~The Western Isle~

Kagome smiled warmly at each passing denizen of the Western city that bowed in acknowledgement of her new station.

“Holy one,” they murmured, eyes low as lips pressed to her hands in blessing and supplication. Children smiled shyly as their eyes trailed curiously over the red and white of her robes, and Kagome knew what they saw when they looked at her.

Adventure. Power. Magic.

Hadn't she once felt such things, before her heart had been divided, torn between two loyalties too powerful to deny?

But now, paths once uncertain lay clear and true. The burden of her heart had passed to another. The only road left for Kagome now was faith, and even as her heart ached with its bittersweetness, she found joy in the surety of it.

For the first time since she had dug the bloody Shikon from between her ribs, Kagome's heart was strangely light.

As she wound through the city, letting the news of her ascension spread like fire, she felt the people's relief and joy rise and fall like the waves that had crashed upon her feet. They had been too long uncertain.

It was no secret that Kagome's gifts had long marked her for priesthood. Only the weight of the Inu Tashio's heavy disapproval had prevented the holy orders from taking the choice from her as they often did, stealing boys and girls with potential from families as soon as the spark showed.

The high priests disapproval at her wayward ways had only grown when the pain of the Shikon's possession had driven her near mad until she clawed it out of her own body, but then it had been tempered with fear.

Touched by the gods. They had whispered in the shadows. Blessed.

Her family's connection to the crown and her fragile understanding with Inuyasha had provoked their judgement. A blessing from the gods, they had decided. Bestowed upon the royal family.

Kagome had let their pronouncement stand, but only she knew the true nature of the jewel that was as much a part of her as her soul.

The blessing had been hers, and its purpose was to serve the purest wish in her heart.

As she made her way into the palace, stone paths gave way to marble and limestone gleaming in the morning sun. Servants she had known since infancy beamed and bowed, offering their congratulations and well wishes, and occasionally their hugs. Kagome didn't mind, she had always been overtly familiar with the staff, in spite of her mother's chagrin.

Reaching finally her true destination, Kagome knocked softly on the door to the Inu no Taisho's private study.

When she entered he smiled in welcome, faltering only when he noted the white and red cloth that denoted her station, and her choice.

Eyes growing heavy, he sat. “Is this your decision then, Kagome?’”

She returned his smile sadly. “This is the choice that Inuyasha and I made...together.”

Bushy eyebrows raised in surprise, for Kagome had shown no signs of sadness or resignation when his son had first set sail weeks ago.

“He has written?” Toga theorized.

Kagome only smiled, and he softened.

“Come here, child,” he beckoned, enfolding her in his arms comfortingly as her fingers twisted in his white silks.

“Will you be happy, Kagome?” He queried softly, and she nodded, faced buried in his chest.

“I don't know who he's bringing home, Inu papa, but please don't think badly of him.”

So that was the way of it.

“Oh, my sweet Kagome,” he sighed. “You know you will always be my daughter in my heart.”

She nodded and stepped back, and he let her go.

“I made my vows last night,” Kagome said softly. “It's time for me to go to the temple. You'll see me again soon.”

Toga nodded, and in an expression of reverent gallantry, took her hand and bowed over it.

“There are none who shine more brightly than you, Kagome.”

For a moment her eyes shone with what looked like tears, but her vibrant smile chased those shadows away.

“Goodbye, Inu-papa.”

 

~The Izaiyoi, at Sea~

The single porthole that lit his cabin spilled moonlight into a distant corner of the room. In the dark, Inuyasha combed gentle claws through the silky black hair of his sleeping mate.

She had wept after Miroku left. Wept all through the morning, and the afternoon. Wept as he held her. Wept as they made love.

There would be war, and though the fault was his, Inuyasha knew what she felt. Kikyo had been a priestess once. She had been born to save lives, not be the cause of bloodshed. Even so, Inuyasha knew she would have chosen him anyway.

The jewel gleamed iridescently between her breasts, proof of the purity that defined her soul. Only in Kagome's hands had the jewel ever shone so brightly.

Once again, he wondered. Had Kagome known the choice that lay ahead when she had draped the Shikon around his neck, tucking it safely into his Haori? Had she kissed his cheek goodbye, even knowing he set sail to betray her?

Without the jewel, he could never have set Kikyo free. Was it fate that led to her laying here, safe in his arms until the war drums came?

Closing his eyes, Inuyasha surrendered to the lull of the ships movements, yet even as sleep came one final thought haunted his waking heart.

_ ~Edo~ _

 

“Where is she?” Naraku hissed dangerously at the trembling handmaid on her knees at his feet.

 

Shaking, she shook her head, not daring to speak even to tell him that she didn't know. Furious, he hauled her up by her hair, so angry he couldn't even revel in her shrill cry of pain.

 

“I will not ask you again, you insipid bitch! Where is she!”

 

“Lord Naraku!” One of his many soldiers called from the door. “My apologies, but we have news of the queen!”

 

Naraku whirled, throwing the girl brutally onto the floor. “Out with it, wretch!”

 

The human man flinched, but spoke on. “The crane youkai Benjiro, he saw her leave this morning.”

 

“Leave?” Naraku hissed. “What could you possibly mean, leave?” 

 

“With the Western Prince...Inuyasha.”

 

“Inu…yasha?” Naraku echoed lowly in disbelief. “Inuyasha?” His voice rose. “You mean to tell me that the wretched mongrel of Toga's that passes for a prince absconded with  _ my _ wife, and managed to escape  _ my  _ city undetected?”

 

_ Not undetected. _

 

_ “ _ I want that crane flogged and executed. Have him at supper tonight,” Naraku hissed. “And as for that traitorous dog, I'll have him on his knees, and he can watch me fuck the bitch he stole from me before he dies.”

 

“Majesty,” the soldier stammered. “The treaty with the west-?”

 

A smile twisted across Naraku's snow white face and he laughed. “More fool I, growing complacent and forgetting nothing is won unless it is taken. I will raze the west to the ground.”

 

He swept past the bowing, simpering fools, the cacaughany of his laughter echoing harshly throughout the halls.

  
  


~ _ The Izaiyoi, at Sea~ _

  
  


Miroku enjoyed sailing. A faint breeze ruffled through his uncharacteristically free hair, the sun warming the dark fabric of his robes. 

 

The easy laughter of the men as they tended to the ship kept his heart light, and Miroku was proud at the accomplishment they had fulfilled at the bequest of their lord and King, Inu no Tashio. Peace had been a long time coming, and at last Edo and the West could traverse their mutual lands without fear. 

 

Inuyasha, his oldest friend and his prince, came and stood beside him, hands braced upon the hull as he stared out into the ocean. Studying his face discreetly, Miroku felt himself disconcerted. Inuyasha's face was most often unusually open and unguarded, a fault that his tutors had tried and failed to correct for years. 

 

At the moment, Inuyasha's countenance could only be described as...grim. A worrisome thing, when by all accounts, the prince should have been as lighthearted as Miroku himself was.

 

Placing a hand companionably on his friend's shoulder, Miroku grinned disarmingly at Inuyasha's wary glance.

 

“We have been friends for too long, Inuyasha. What's troubling you?”

 

The hanyou's mouth twisted in discomfort, lips thinning as he pressed them together. Glaring out into the ocean, Inuyasha finally sighed.

 

“Miroku I've... done something.”

 

Raising his eyebrows, Miroku waited for him to continue. Inuyasha had always been brash, rushing headlong into decisions that somehow always worked out for the best. But he rarely expressed guilt, or worry over his choices.

 

“Whatever it is, I'm sure it can't be as bad as all that,” Miroku soothed. “You never do anything for the wrong reasons.”

 

“You might not think so,” Inuyasha admitted darkly, still refusing to meet his gaze. “But even if it was the only choice…you might not forgive me. Father might not forgive me. And Kagome...”

 

Heart sinking, Miroku grasped Inuyasha by the shoulders and turned him, making him face him. “Inuyasha, enough games. What are you hiding?”

 

“...Come with me,” Inuyasha said finally, turning and walking away.

 

Miroku followed as Inuyasha led him into the large cabin that was the Izaiyoi's most luxurious feature, and then even further to the single private captain's room that was the prince's prerogative. Key in the lock, Inuyasha shot Miroku a resigned look of warning. Then the lock clicked open, and Inuyasha stepped inside. 

 

Miroku ducked slightly as he entered, avoiding the low doorway and blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.

 

On Inuyasha's narrow cot, a figure stirred and sat up. Hair like obsidian spilled out from beneath hood and cloak, and Miroku's eyes widened as dark luminous pools peered out at him, filled with fear as Inuyasha crossed over to her and took her hand reassuringly. Tenderly, he swept the hood back from her ivory face and Miroku choked low in his throat.

 

Face guarded, Inuyasha met Miroku's eyes with steel in his own, shielding Kikyo with his body. 

 

At last, Miroku found his voice.

 

“Inuyasha,” he whispered, horrified. Disbelieving. “What have you done? What have you  _ done _ ?”

 

“I couldn't leave her,” Inuyasha pled, his face twisting in raw remorse. “She...she's my mate. I had no choice. I couldn't leave her to Naraku.”

 

“This will mean war,” Miroku swore furiously. “Inuyasha, this will destroy everything your father worked for! Are you mad?”

 

“I know.” 

 

The leaden weight of his voice - the weary finality - drew Miroku up short.

 

Exhaling harshly, Miroku dragged his fingers through loose hair, retying the low ponytail at the base of his neck. After several long moments of thought, he finally found the words to say.

 

“Your father will forgive you,” Miroku said quietly. “Only heaven knows the blood he would spill to keep Izayoi safe. He will understand.”

 

“...And you?” Inuyasha asked quietly. “Will you forgive me, brother?”

 

At the moment, Miroku wasn't sure.

 

_ ~The Western Isle~ _

 

Kagome smiled warmly at each passing denizen of the Western city that bowed in acknowledgement of her new station.

 

“Holy one,” they murmured, eyes low as lips pressed to her hands in blessing and supplication. Children smiled shyly as their eyes trailed curiously over the red and white of her robes, and Kagome knew what they saw when they looked at her.

 

Adventure. Power.  _ Magic _ .

 

Hadn't she once felt such things, before her heart had been divided, torn between two loyalties too powerful to deny?

 

But now, paths once uncertain lay clear and true. The burden of her heart had passed to another.  The only road left for Kagome now was faith, and even as her heart ached with its bittersweetness, she found joy in the surety of it.

 

For the first time since she had dug the bloody Shikon from between her ribs, Kagome's heart was strangely light.

 

As she wound through the city, letting the news of her ascension spread like fire, she felt the people's relief and joy rise and fall like the waves that had crashed upon her feet. They had been too long uncertain. 

 

It was no secret that Kagome's gifts had long marked her for priesthood. Only the weight of the Inu Tashio's heavy disapproval had prevented the holy orders from taking the choice from her as they often did, stealing boys and girls with potential from families as soon as the spark showed.

 

The high priests disapproval at her wayward ways had only grown when the pain of the Shikon's possession had driven her near mad until she clawed it out of her own body, but then it had been tempered with fear. 

 

_ Touched by the gods. _ They had whispered in the shadows.  _ Blessed.  _

 

Her family's connection to the crown and her fragile understanding with Inuyasha had provoked their judgement.  _ A blessing from the gods, _ they had decided.  _ Bestowed upon the royal family.  _

 

Kagome had let their pronouncement stand, but only she knew the true nature of the jewel that was as much a part of her as her soul.

 

The blessing had been hers, and its purpose was to serve the purest wish in her heart.

 

As she made her way into the palace, stone paths gave way to marble and limestone gleaming in the morning sun. Servants she had known since infancy beamed and bowed, offering their congratulations and well wishes, and occasionally their hugs. Kagome didn't mind, she had always been overtly familiar with the staff, in spite of her mother's chagrin. 

 

Reaching finally her true destination, Kagome knocked softly on the door to the Inu no Taisho's private study.

 

When she entered he smiled in welcome, faltering only when he noted the white and red cloth that denoted her station, and her choice.

 

Eyes growing heavy, he sat. “Is this your decision then, Kagome?’”

 

She returned his smile sadly. “This is the choice that Inuyasha and I made...together.” 

 

Bushy eyebrows raised in surprise, for Kagome had shown no signs of sadness or resignation when his son had first set sail weeks ago.

 

“He has written?” Toga theorized.

 

Kagome only smiled, and he softened.

 

“Come here, child,” he beckoned, enfolding her in his arms comfortingly as her fingers twisted in his white silks. 

 

“Will you be happy, Kagome?” He queried softly, and she nodded, faced buried in his chest. 

 

“I don't know who he's bringing home, Inu papa, but please don't think badly of him.”

 

_ So that was the way of it. _

 

“Oh, my sweet Kagome,” he sighed. “You know you will always be my daughter in my heart.”

 

She nodded and stepped back, and he let her go. 

 

“I made my vows last night,” Kagome said softly. “It's time for me to go to the temple. You'll see me again soon.”

 

Toga nodded, and in an expression of reverent gallantry, took her hand and bowed over it.

 

“There are none who shine more brightly than you, Kagome.”

 

For a moment her eyes shone with what looked like tears, but her vibrant smile chased those shadows away.

 

“Goodbye, Inu-papa.”

  
  


~ _ The Izaiyoi, at Sea~ _

 

The single porthole that lit his cabin spilled moonlight into a distant corner of the room. In the dark, Inuyasha combed gentle claws through the silky black hair of his sleeping mate.

 

She had wept after Miroku left. Wept all through the morning, and the afternoon. Wept as he held her. Wept as they made love. 

 

There would be war, and though the fault was his, Inuyasha knew what she felt. Kikyo had been a priestess once. She had been born to save lives, not be the cause of bloodshed. Even so, Inuyasha knew she would have chosen him anyway. 

 

The jewel gleamed iridescently between her breasts, proof of the purity that defined her soul. Only in Kagome's hands had the jewel ever shone so brightly.

 

Once again, he wondered. Had Kagome known the choice that lay ahead when she had draped the Shikon around his neck, tucking it safely into his Haori? Had she kissed his cheek goodbye, even knowing he set sail to betray her? 

 

Without the jewel, he could never have set Kikyo free. Was it fate that led to her laying here, safe in his arms until the war drums came?

 

Closing his eyes, Inuyasha surrendered to the lull of the ships movements, yet even as sleep came one final thought haunted his waking heart.

 

_ Kagome...I'm so sorry. _


	3. Chapter 3

In the city of Edo, there was no mistaking the call to war.

 

Drums pounding a steady beat sang from sunup to sundown, drowning the thoughts of her citizens until only one remained. Sleep was scarce, tempers rose, and men flowed to sign into ranks just to sooth the rage the constant noise instilled.

 

Naraku sat at the head table of his war room as his generals squabled, smirking at the magical chaos only he was truly immune too.

 

“The West's defenses are stronger than any of the other city states that we've conquered before,” Kagura, the wind witch opined, fingers pressed to her brow. “Our only advantage is that they can't retreat inland easily, if we manage to capture the blockades on each side of the straight.”

 

“Capture? Don't be ridiculous! Why waste resources when we could simply focus our resources on troops that can bypass them? Many of the youkai at his Majesty's command can fly, including yourself!” Bankotsu, leader of the Seven Swordsmen retorted.

 

“Many is not all, and what would you have the flying youkai do? Cart around those without wings, becoming less mobile targets for the youkai at the Inu no Tashio's command? And what about the human's we need to combat those with holy power? A single priestess could take out near a hundred flying demons, and the humans they carry would plummet to their deaths!” Kagura was always the most vocal and acidic of his warlords, but Naraku couldn't deny that he enjoyed watching her shred idiots to ribbons. 

 

“But there is a redeeming idea in all that nonsense,” Tsubaki, the dark miko, interjected. “Partner our own holy citizens with the mightiest of the flying youkai, those who can withstand the sting of holy power! How fearsome it would be have such powers rain down from the sky!”

 

“ _ If _ we could find enough demons of sufficient strength, the idea has some merit,” Kagura agreed reluctantly, “but it still exposes those few valuable soldiers to attack. A full squad of youkai acting as guard to such a unit would be needed for adequate protection. And that doesn't address how we should approach our initial strategy at all! From which direction should we attack? The element of surprise would give us a better chance at the blockades, but they are far enough from the city that it will give them ample warning to fortify.”

 

“A moot point, would you not say Kagura,” Naraku drawled. “Those mongrels will likely be fortifying the moment Inuyasha's ship touches port. The dogs may be brash, but they are not foolish. They knew it meant war when they stole from me.”

 

Kagura hesitated, but nodded slowly.

 

“Enough of this for now,” Naraku waved them off lazily. “Return to your cities and gather your forces, we will set sail in a fortnight.”

 

All those present made their bows and filtered out of the room, but his wind witch lingered.

 

“Kagura,” Naraku acknowledged in amusement, reclining carelessly in his throne.

 

After a moment of pensive deliberation, she finally huffed.

 

“I can only imagine that you'll presume to judge my motives...but there is another faction you have failed to consider. I think we would be unwise to discount it.”

 

It did not take much intuition to make the leap that Kagura had. 

 

“Ah, yesss...your unresponsive...beau.” Naraku smirked, and Kagura stiffened, closing her eyes briefly in a visible attempt to reign in her temper. “While I applaud your taste in powerful men, my dear, surely you do not think me such a fool to ask for his allegiance.”

 

“Sesshomaru Taisho may not be your ally, but he will not hesitate to take advantage of a situation as opportune as this one. If you don't secure him to our side, do you imagine he will remain impartial?” Kagura argued. “Once he hears of this conflict, he will see what is obvious. Sesshomaru is a ruthless demon, and he will fill the void of power once both sides are suitably weakened. You know I won't discourage you from this war, but it is sure to cost us considerable strength.”

 

Silently, Naraku mused. Kagura was likely correct, however… “What is it you suggest? You know that he will never bow to me, and another dog on that throne will undo the purpose of my efforts.”

 

“The purpose of your campaign is revenge,” Kagura said. “But you were content enough without Toga's lands, and besides, who would you set to manage it when we both know you prefer your seat here? Take the exiled prince into battle, gift him a throne. He may never bow to you, but he will, at the very least, ignore you altogether, and your treaty with the west will stand with a more palatable ruler. All the sweeter revenge too, if you use the Inu no Taisho's vengeful son to spill his blood and win your war.”

 

“You sing such a lovely song, Kagura,” Naraku taunted. “The poetic irony does sound tempting, however...whatever will I do when you eventually win your prince's heart? The Western Isle and Hokkaido, united? What a worthy foe you two would make, my sweet Kagura.”

 

Aghast, Kagura negates his words with a violent shake of her head. “Never, Naraku!” She cried in horror, stepping forward in supplication. “My loyalty is unending! Without you, my lands would have been lost long ago!”

 

“Be at ease, pet, I was only teasing,” Naraku smiled sweetly. “I know your heart belongs to me.” As her expression calmed, he leaned forward. “It will be as you say. Go to your vengeful prince, convince him to meet with me, and if this effort proves fruitful, I may even reward you.”

 

Kagura bowed silently, an obvious attempt to regain her dignity, and left.

 

Afterwards, Naraku daydreamed idly of his pending revenge, and the expression of shock and betrayal on Toga's face as his eldest son drove a sword through his gut. Of the terror on his treacherous wife's face as Inuyasha was torn apart by Naraku's own hands.  _ And then _ ...death was too good for his beautiful Kikyo...she would suffer in his bed for all eternity.

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

~ _ The Western Isle, Palace~ _

  
  


Toga, the Inu no Tashio and King of Dogs, waited impatiently upon his throne for the procession that marked his son's return from the celebration of peace in Edo. Quiet murmurs and laughter filled the generously sized hall full of people who waited to welcome their prince home. Out of the corner of his eye, Toga noted Kagome slip into the room, making her way to stand discreetly behind him with other select members of the court. 

 

Though his face didn't change, Toga was relieved. He would not wish to see her slink away into the shadows, avoiding this woman who she claimed Inuyasha would return with. He had not had the chance to query her further on the matter these last weeks. Kagome had buried herself in the devotions of her new role.

 

“Lady Oracle,” he heard Myoga the flea demon murmur a low greeting, and frowned. 

 

_ That _ was another matter he had not been able to discuss with her. The news had spread like wildfire almost as soon as she had set foot in the temple, but it was no burden he wished for her. 

 

But it had been unlikely that she had heard word from Inuyasha, so distantly across the sea. Had she  _ Seen _ his son's new love, and given over to fate's design?

 

Toga had ever held in making his own destiny, but the gods had his respect still. Kagome had beloved part of his family for the entirety of her life, since her dear father's passing decades ago. He had been a powerful priest, and a true friend. Toga would have preferred to have her wed into his own family, as her closeness with his son had always suggested.

 

Toga sighed internally. Apparently such a happy union was not to be.

 

~

 

Kagome smiled briefly at Myoga's greeting before turning her attention back to the grand entrance of Toga's main reception hall. Though her face was consciously free of trepidation, she nonetheless felt a faint fluttering in her heart and stomach.  _ I have no idea what's coming. _

 

Ironic, she reflected sardonically, considering her official designation. It was true that she had always  _ known _ things, but she did dislike the heavy weight of the eyes that now followed her. Many people would consider being in the confidence of the high priests an honour. Kagome found their pushy watchfulness and pointed advice annoying.

 

Not nearly as annoying as her disappointment in herself in not being as discreet as she thought. It was no wonder they'd been hounding her so relentlessly to take on holy orders. Almost as soon as she'd set foot in that temple they'd sat her down for a series of tests to “test the strength of her precognition”...and she'd passed. Every single one. Internally, Kagome groaned. At the very least it did come with some perks.

 

Once - just once - one of her many advisors and watchers had diplomatically suggested that it might be proper to distance herself slightly from the royal family in the wake of her holy awakening. The scathing look she had given him had promptly cut off  _ any  _ further suggestions of that kind. After all, how could you tell an oracle she didn't know best?

 

And now she stood once again in Toga's throne room as she had a hundred times before, listening to the victory drums pound an exultant beat as cheers rose ever closer to the palace. Any moment, her best friend and his new lover would walk through that door and Kagome - she would be as she ever had, only remade.

 

Outside, the cheers rose to a crescendo and the receiving rooms’ doors swung open with slow ceremony. Her breath caught at that first gleam of silver hair and eyes.

 

As ever, Inuyasha's eyes scanned the room, seeking until they found her and their gazes locked. Uncertainty and remorse shone in those eyes, and her chest tightened.  _ I will not cry. _ She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze with neither trepidation or hostility as they communicated wordlessly, and then his eyes were dragged away as his father stepped forward to meet him.

 

The loss of that connection which she had always felt so keenly was heavy, but Kagome put the feeling aside and focused on the woman at his side.

 

Looking at her features, Kagome was struck with a sense of familiarity. It was like looking at her own mirror image, if her hair had been parted just so, and her eyes had not been blue, and if her features had been just a bit finer. And around her neck...the Shikon gleamed, so bright and pure that Kagome's breath caught. 

 

So...Kagome considered mutely. Her truest wish come to pass, at the hands of another who could be her twin. It was almost poetically cruel, but her heart already felt lighter, as if a higher purpose had been served. 

 

“Inuyasha,” Toga's voice boomed, his pride filling the room. “I am so glad to see you well my son, after your journey, and in such lovely company. What beauty have you brought home to meet me?”

 

Kagome saw Queen Izayoi cover her mouth discreetly to hide her smile, and could not help but smile in turn. Toga had always had a way of being outrageously charming.

 

Returning her gaze to the arriving party, Kagome was surprised to see Miroku's piercing gaze fixed upon her. She raised her eyebrow and his expression grew grim as Inuyasha leaned forward, speaking quietly to his father.

 

Toga, however, was not quiet in his reply.

 

“Kikyo?” He repeated loudly. “Kikyo of Edo?”

 

Whispers spread like wildfire, growing quickly into a dull murmur. Inuyasha's ears laid back and the implication of such a revelation struck her just as shock began giving way to panic.

 

Glancing around quickly, Kagome felt the unease in the room rise. This was about to blow up, and quickly. But what on earth could Toga say? Beautiful and creeping, branches blooming with cherry blossoms spread far past Kikyo's collar, proclaiming her as Inuyasha's mate for all to see.

 

_ Fuck me. _

 

Kagome stepped forward, measured and slow, gaining attention with the deliberate strike of each shoe against tile. Passing Toga, she reached forward and took Kikyo's hand in her own.

 

Surprise coloured the woman's face, the appealing pink fanning across her cheeks as she submitted to Kagome's inspection. The room fell deathly silent. 

 

Releasing her, Kagome circled the couple slowly, engaging in a deliberate fanfare meant to convey ceremony and weighty thought. This, among others, was one of the things she had learned the past few weeks. How to walk, how to speak. How to command attention and hold it. 

 

Coming to a stop once again in front of Kikyo, Kagome slipped her fingers under the jewel, lifting it between them so all closeby could easily see its shining gleam. Studying it silently under Inuyasha and Kikyo's anxious faces, Kagome smiled.

 

“So,” she said finally, startling many. “The Shikon no Tama has chosen a new bearer. It shines brightly in your grasp, Kikyo of Edo.”

 

Hesitantly, the beautiful woman dipped her head. “Thank you…?”

 

“Kagome,” she supplied, smiling benevolently. She lowered the gem back down, letting it rest against Kikyo's silk Kimono. 

 

Turning to Inuyasha, she reached and took his face in her palms. His shock prevented him from offering any resistance as she brought his face down and kissed him ceremonially on his brow.

 

Releasing him, she raised her voice. “The gods have brought us the blessing they promised when the jewel was born from my body.” 

 

Kikyo's eyes widened as Kagome gently grasped her face too, kissing the top of her head in a pronouncement no one dared challenge. 

 

“May you bring Inuyasha all the joy this world has to offer, Kikyo of the West. Be not afraid, for our port is your safe harbour, as the gods surely intended when they sent Inuyasha to find you.”

 

Clearly shocked and unsure, Kikyo offered a low bow and Inuyasha followed. Kagome felt Toga's hands settle on her shoulder, and his quick squeeze conveyed thanks. Stepping back, she let him take over, fading into the shadows. Before she was enveloped in the crowd spilling forward around her, Inuyasha's eyes found hers one final time and she smiled. She blinked, and he was out of sight, surrounded now by those offering well wishes and congratulations.

 

Once in the narrow corridor outside, she leaned back against the way, her breath coming short in her chest.  _ Oh Inuyasha.  _ All the things she knew, and she had not seen this?  _ You'd think a pending war would filter through a little higher on the priority list. _

 

One thing was certain. The days ahead would not be easy for any of them. 

 

Steeling herself, Kagome pushed off from the wall and began to move resolutely down the hallway. 

 

She had a lot of fucking seeing to do.

  
  
  


~ _ The coast of Ida, Southern Peninsula~ _

  
  


_ “ _ You're hopeless, Kagura,” she muttered to herself as she fought her way through the forest trail that was somehow always overgrown, even though it was the only way into or out of the Western Princes’ domain. “Out of your pretty little mind.”

 

The branches that snagged helpfully into her Kimono seemed to laughingly agree, and she wondered bitterly if they were charmed to inconvenience anyone who wasn't a welcome guest.

 

_ That  _ thought rankled more than she would ever admit, so she shoved it down, maintaining the cool expression she excelled at. 

 

Trudging along, she unbound her hair. If she was going to look like a mess when she got there,  _ he _ could bloody well deal with her looking like it wasn't a forest that had torn up her clothes. 

 

Not ten minutes later, she put her hair back up, knowing with a sigh that it would make no difference to him anyway, and only her feminine vanity would take a hit, not his composure.

 

She  _ would  _ have flown in, but he always took exception to her trying to announce her presence without the required amount of warning. Last time, a thick buffet of his youkai had sent her and her feather tumbling into the sea. 

 

Miserably, she wondered what she saw in such a difficult man anyway. 

 

As she drew closer, the clang of metal on metal rang, and her eyebrows drew up in some interest. Training today, was he? Perhaps he would be in a good mood.

 

Trodden forest mulch gave way to meandering stone, and finally smooth rock as she rounded the tall outcroppings that circled his preferred grounds. Quietly, Kagura settled against a boulder to watch and wait, not bothering to announce herself.

 

He was moving slowly, much below his capacity, and a closer look revealed why. His opponent was human. 

 

Clad in black and pale green armour, the man was of a height with the pale youkai lord, which in itself was impressive. It was not his only good quality, Kagura assessed. Sesshomaru had slowed his speed, but his skill was much the same as always, by her judgement. The human man was  _ good. _

 

The style of his garment caught her eye, and she straightened. He was also a demon slayer. What in the world was such a man doing here, sparring in such a friendly, albeit serious manner? 

 

With great interest, Kagura watched the progressive demonstration of skill. Sesshomaru was putting the human through his paces. Was it truly sparing as she had thought, or was it the more measured assessment of teacher to student? Keen ruby eyes followed each twist of the other man's limbs. He certainly  _ moved  _ like Sesshomaru, and not just in the way of a few months knowledge. Such mimicry was the work of years, if not decades.

 

It was certainly interesting if true. Wasn’t the prevalent rumour that Sesshomaru despised humans? He certainly held no love for his human stepmother and hanyou brother. Kagura had never herself witnessed anything to contradict popular opinion. 

 

Abruptly, Sesshomaru shifted gears, and Kagura straightened as the flurry of his attacks increased in speed. Her supposition was confirmed when the previous series of moves repeated, and his opponent matched each blow strike for strike. On and on it went, the daiyoukai increasing each set in speed and in force. She watched in amazement as the demon slayer parried and struck with equal speed and vigour, until at last he seemed to reach the limit of exertion. 

 

A particular blow from Sesshomaru drew a wince and grunt, and the next parry was missed. Only Sesshomaru's perfect reflexes in withdrawal of the strike saved the man from impalation.

 

Reaching behind his head, the black mask that protected his face was undone, and he groaned lightly. 

 

“Well done, Kohaku,” Sesshomaru offered shortly, voice as cool and mellow as it ever was. 

 

Kohaku bowed low at the waist, sheathing his sword. “Thank you Lord Sesshomaru.”

 

“Go,” he replied shortly, but not with any force, and Kagura stood, walking closer in the wake of ‘Kohaku's’ departure.

 

“Kagura,” he acknowledged shortly as he walked to the flat stone where his discarded outer haori rested. 

 

“Training humans now, Sesshomaru?” She queried, eyebrow arched as he shrugged into the garment.

 

His eyes slid over her in that piercingly dismissive way of his. “Kohaku is my retainer.”

 

And thus, she surmised, exempt from normal human rules.

 

Nevertheless, she couldn't resist getting one good dig in. “Taking human retainers now, Sesshomaru?” She rejoined flippantly.

 

He snorted, lightly, and her heart fluttered traitorously.

 

“Why are you here?” Sesshomaru replied cuttingly, and the flutters abruptly disappeared.

 

“You haven't heard?” She asked, inspecting her fingernails.

 

Stone faced, he stared at her. Meeting his gaze with equal blankness, she held for several long moments before her lips gave over, twitching upwards faintly.  _ I lose this round. _

 

“Edo and the West are going to war,” she told him, and not a flicker of surprise passed over his eyes.  _ He did already know, the fucking bastard. _

 

“What is it you propose?” He asked cooly, eyes sliding with a gleam over the tears in her clothes.

 

“Oh,” Kagura said offhandedly. “I'm feeling rather ambitious these days. Let's wait until both sides tire themselves out, and we can crush them both between us.”

 

The surprise she was looking for made an appearance, and to her amazement a whisper of a smile curled his lips. It almost even made it into his eyes. 

 

“Your help for my hand in marriage?” he replied dryly. “You grow more cunning by the day, Kagura.”

 

She snorted, flipping her fan open to hide her smile. “Naraku sent me.”

 

“Unlikely,” he countered.

 

“Naraku sent me, after I convinced him to,” Kagura corrected agreeably. “I would rather know what you are upto than wonder when you were going to throw a wrench in all our lovely plans.”

 

“Hn.”

 

“So you  _ are  _ planning something.”

 

He sent her a flat look and began to run through his katas, clearly intending she should know this conversation was beneath him.

 

Fanning herself slowly, Kagura walked casually over to the cliff face that stared out into the sparkling sea. “Naraku doesn't care overmuch for the land, it's the slight against him that drives him to revenge. Inuyasha -” the air grew immediately more oppressive - “must be made to pay. He is prepared to cede the territory to you in exchange for your cooperation in victory.”

 

He didn't reply immediately, but she hadn't expected him to. Like his father and brother, Sesshomaru disdained the hanyou that was her lord and King. She watched the waves patiently as the sun dipped lower and lower. 

 

At last, Sesshomaru hissed in annoyance, sheathing his sword abruptly. He came to stand beside her on the cliff, arms crossed in vexation.

 

“Even breathing that spider's air gives me a headache,” he growled lowly. “It would be far more satisfying to take victory myself.”

 

“But, more costly,” Kagura offered lowly in rebuttal. “Will that human retainer of yours be following you into battle?” 

 

He frowned, silent as his eyes pierced the horizon.

 

“Meet with him,” Kagura encouraged. “If you don't like the deal, do what you want, like you always do. What will it hurt?”

 

The look he shot her clearly said his  _ pride _ would hurt, but Kagura shrugged, looking away.

 

“I do not know why you remain loyal to that insect,” Sesshomaru said lowly, addressing his comment to the sea below. 

 

“You know I owe him my life,” Kagura muttered back. “That counts for something, don't you think?

 

“And should he find himself  _ my  _ enemy?” Sesshomaru growled, and her throat tightened, because it was the closest he had ever come to asking her allegiance. 

 

“I would really rather,” she answered, the faintest quaver in her voice, “that he didn't.”

 

No answer came, so Kagura plucked her feather from her hair. His hair gleamed in the rippling wind as she took to the sky, but Kagura forced her eyes forward and up as she left him far behind.

Thanks for the reads!


	5. Chapter 5

Safely ensconced in Inuyasha's rooms after all the uproar had died down, Kikyo fumbled at the obi at her waist with trembling fingers.

 

Her Inuyasha, restless and worried, had only briefly kissed her goodbye before having her escorted here. He had disappeared into the Western King's private council chambers with a gaggle of other advisors that now sought to plan for the unexpected war that was sure to follow. Kikyo sat on the edge of the bed, burying her face in her hands. 

 

It was well enough that she had cried herself out on the boat, because it would serve nothing now. What was she doing here? What had she done? 

 

Kikyo's thoughts turned to the strange girl with her face, the one that had halted the widespread panic her mere presence had almost induced. And then… Kikyo took the Shikon in her hand, staring deeply into its gleaming depths. 

 

This jewel Inuyasha had given her, the one that had set her free from Naraku, had come from that Kagome's body?

 

Kagome, who had called her a god promised blessing. 

 

Kikyo felt a tightness in her chest, for surely the entirety of this course of fate could be nothing but a curse. A curse brought on by her selfishness. Was this gem, gleaming so prettily on it's chain, the blessing Kagome thought? Or was it merely a harbinger of the doom sure to come?

 

Inuyasha had told her that only those pure of heart could hold it, but Kikyo did not feel pure. Once, she had been a girl full of love and light, serving happily at the temple with her younger sister, Kaede. But that past was far away and long ago, and though she knew with her whole heart that she loved Inuyasha more than life itself, she was just a woman now. Tired and sad, and just a faint glimmer of the person she had once been.

 

And yet, Kagome's eyes had been strangely sad even as they burned with life and fire. She had held it too, and the jewel had not so much as dimmed in her grasp. 

 

Was purity truly the kinship they shared, that let them hold the Shikon with equality?

 

Her thoughts held her long into the evening, and when Inuyasha finally returned, eyes weary, she was startled to realise the room had grown dim.

 

He crossed over to her, shedding clothes with hands that seemed clumsy and heavy, and sank into the mattress, pulling her into his arms and tucking her head under his chin.

 

He was quiet as he held her, stroking her hair as they laid against each other.

 

Did he regret it, she wondered? Regret the burning fire between them that had led them here?

 

“Inuyasha?” Kikyo asked softly, face pressed into his side.

 

“Mm?”

 

“Who...who was that girl? Kagome?”

 

He opened his eyes, staring quietly into the darkness above. Even so, he pulled her closer, hand trailing from her hair to settle at her waist.

 

“Kagome… we've been friends for a long time...and once, I guess we both thought it might be more, one day.”

 

“You… you loved her?”

 

“I...I thought I did. But I knew I was wrong when I met you. And… when she gave me the jewel, before I came to Edo...I guess she knew it, too.”

 

Kikyo pressed closer, her eyes stinging as she turned further into his chest. 

 

Inuyasha turned towards her, legs winding through hers. Fingers combing her hair back, he pressed his lips to her cheek. After a while, his hand trailed down, touching the jewel, and she lifted her eyes to his in silent question.

 

“Kagome was always pretty close mouthed about the jewel, but once she told me that it's power was fueled by a wish,” he said absently. “I guess I was just wondering if it would ask you to make a new one, since it's yours now.”

 

“You sound as if it can speak,” she replied softly.

 

“Well, not really. But sometimes, when I was wearing it, it felt like it had a voice. Comforting, I guess.”

 

She had, she realised, felt the warm and gentle pulse change tune with her moods, soothing her with quiet murmurs.

 

“Maybe it only needs one wish,” Inuyasha murmured lowly as his eyes drifted closed, his nose nuzzling into her hair.

 

Maybe, Kikyo thought, even as it hung about her neck, the jewel would only ever truly belong to Kagome.

  
  


~ _ The Coast of Ida, Southern Peninsula~ _

  
  


_ “ _ Is it true, Lord Sesshomaru?”  asked Sango, the only other survivor of her decimated village, and Kohaku's elder sister. She fell in beside him as he walked the mountain path, sunlight filtering warmly through the southern trees.

 

“It is so,” he answered tersely, arms crossed in his sleeves. From a distance, any unfamiliar with him would think him relaxed, but Sango hesitated.

 

“What will you do… my lord?”

 

Sesshomaru stopped and she halted, her scent rife with nerves. “You wish to fight.”

 

She lowered her eyes. “You know that Inuyasha was responsible for the destruction of my clan.” Her village had once bordered the small portion of continent Toga controlled, and it was widely known that he had been responsible for the border skirmish that had brought ruin to Sango's way of life. “And Kohaku…”

 

“I have made no decisions.” Sesshomaru replied. “If you find dissatisfaction with my final word, your loyalty will not be questioned. Vengeance is personal matter.”

 

Relief coloured her face, and she bowed low at the waist. “I would prefer...to fight at your side, Lord Sesshomaru. If not for your mercy, my brother would be dead, and nothing would give me more pride than to help you accomplish your ambitions.”

 

He said nothing as he resumed walking, leaving her behind. 

 

The air at the summit of Mount Ida was cool and refreshing, and most importantly, free from any scents save the sharp wind and ocean. Breathing deeply, Sesshomaru drew the blade that had been his only inheritance. 

 

Cold eyes gleamed in the reflection cast in the cruelly mocking steel, and he tasted blood as his gritted fangs pierced tongue. 

 

Tenseiga, the blade that would not cut. 

 

Once, when he had been the crown prince of the Western Kingdom, his father had possessed three swords. Tessaiga, the sword to fell 100 souls; Tenseiga, the sword to revive them; and So’unga, the sword to command the dead from hell.

 

Once, when he had imagined his fate, stretched out for the millenia ahead, he had thought to follow in his father's footsteps. The blades of earth, heaven, and hell would all answer his call, and he would rule in the west as his ancestors had before him. 

 

Once, his father had broken the traditions of thousands of years, taking a second wife and siring a hanyou son, and the inheritance that  _ should _ have been his had been divided. If there had ever been a place in his heart that might have been willing to share glory with his half brother, it had died the day Toga had chosen to bequeath him Tenseiga - and Tenseiga only.

 

That the halfbreed would inherit the Tessaiga, and he, Toga's firstborn, should receive only the blade useless as a weapon - it had been an insult too grievous to let stand.

 

Sesshomaru glared at the shining blade in his hand, insulted still by the deceptiveness of the fine edge that promised blood. That Toga too had chosen to let his son walk away from his throne, instead of altering his decision - it was a betrayal Sesshomaru would never forgive.

 

He would never again call the Western King his father, but one day, the throne of the west would be his. The Inu no Taisho would be defeated at his claws, and his cursed half brother would find no place remained for him, if he survived the taking.

 

It did, Sesshomaru reflected, grow ever more unlikely he would do so. Inuyasha seemed to gather enemies wherever he went. It had been 7 human years since the village of Sango's birth had been destroyed - Kohaku had been but a boy then. And now, the foolish whelp had stolen the mate of another, and a King at that, though Sesshomaru was loath to bequeath the grasping spider the title. 

 

No, Inuyasha was not likely to survive the coming conflict, however… Sesshomaru was still wary of considering Naraku's proposal.

 

It was not necessarily weak to seek allies, and dishonour was not in question. Toga had long ago forfeited his loyalties, and it  _ would  _ be a poetic to use Inuyasha's folly to win back his crown.

 

Only his personal distaste and distrust for the arachnid truly stalled him, Sesshomaru knew. The temptation was enthralling, and his blood rose at the very thought of the look upon Toga's face at his moment of return.

 

There was little harm enough, he admitted to himself, to hear the spider out as Kagura had suggested.

 

She made no secret of her desires, and though he gave them little thought, she had his respect for the dignity she exercised. Though she was foolishly beholden to the Naraku, he too would regret finding her his enemy on the field of battle. 

 

Mind made, light gathered around him and he took flight.


	6. Chapter 6

Miroku had waited, patient as only a lifelong friend could be, but it had been days, and Kagome had failed to seek him out.

 

Perhaps, on some level, he had expected it. One could not lose what Kagome had and wish to hear constantly whispers of pity and compassion. He too would have taken solace in the protective silence of faith.

 

What truly rankled was that each concerned enquirer had turned their attentions to  _ him, _ in her absence. And embarrassingly, at this moment he knew no more about Kagome's state of mind than Inuyasha did.

 

_ Has Kagome said anything to you?  _ His King had asked thoughtfully during a war council.  _ I would have thought she'd be here. _

 

_ Is Kagome doing alright, Miroku?  _ Queen Izayoi had asked, her dark eyes pinched with concern.

 

_ Kagome hasn't been home in days!  _ Souta had complained, cornering the monk during meditation.  _ Mama's worried! _

 

And the guilty party stood apart, golden eyes trailing the monk in a silent questions he felt he hadn't the right to voice, but Miroku felt like a heavy weight, nonetheless. Though Kagome and Inuyasha had always been closer to each other than to him, he found himself floundering in a shift that left him the authority on the division between them.

 

It was about time that Kagome, Miroku had decided grimly, started speaking for herself again.

 

There were many smaller temples and places of worship in the city, but the grand temple of Amaterasu where Kagome had taken up residence was a place of true beauty, outside the city walls and bordering the sea. 

 

It was a testament to the Inu no Taisho's power that it sat so pristinely unguarded. No enemy troops had set foot on this beach for 6 decades, more than half an ancient humans lifetime.

 

As always, he felt an encompassing sense of warmth as he passed through the barrier. 

 

A pretty priestess was busy sweeping the main hall, and she returned his warm smile with a wary glance. Though Miroku was a monk, his father's reputation - and his own, he admitted to himself wryly - put him at something of a disadvantage when it came to dealing with other devoted temple goers. It might have been the philandering, but mostly, Miroku suspected that he put to lie the idea that chastity was a requirement for human power, at least for men. It made the other priests and monks disapproving. It made the priestesses resentful. 

 

Stopping to greet her, he made his enquires on his erstwhile friend, and was surprised to be met with increased hostility. 

 

“The oracle isn't to be disturbed,” the younger priestess told him sharply, broom grasped in both hands like a shield to warn him off. The look she shot up and down him was equally clear.  _ Especially not by the likes of you _ . 

 

“Pardon me?” Miroku managed pleasantly, but from the way she paled, he hadn't quite managed to keep the ice out of his voice.

 

“She's busy,” her tone heightened in pitch with nervousness. “Lady Kagome has been sequestered for several days, preparing for the conflict with Edo.”

 

_ Ah.  _ Miroku let his smile warm again. “I see. Well that is perfectly fine, but I've come with a message from the King, and it is private.  _ Kagome _ will want to receive the Inu no Taisho's missive, I'm sure.”

 

The girl hesitated, but nodded reluctantly, putting aside her broom. “This way.”

 

Miroku followed her through the winding halls to a part of the temple reserved only for higher officials, and their private rooms and meeting places. Internally, Miroku couldn't help but be amused. Kagome had always loathed being singled out for her power, and being relegated to a place in the temple only for the highly favoured was sure to annoy her greatly.

 

When the younger priestess seemed to hesitate knocking on the door, Miroku raised his eyebrows at her and simply swept by her, sliding open the screen and closing it firmly behind him in her scandalized face.

 

“I told you,” his friend complained, back to him, “when I see something, you'll know about it!”

 

Coughing to hide his laugh, Miroku grinned when she twisted round with wide eyes at the sound of his voice. 

 

“Miroku!” She sounded relieved, and he began to feel a bit bad. Maybe she hadn't been avoiding him after all.

 

“Nice to see you too, 'milady’,” he mocked as she struggled out of her cross legged position.

 

“Don't even start,” she grumbled, the same as ever.

 

“What are you even doing?” He asked in exasperation.

 

She scowled at him. “I'm focusing, that's what I'm doing. Everyone's losing it cause so far I'm drawing a big fat blank.”

 

“Your visions don't work like that,” Miroku reminded her, mystified. 

 

“ _ I  _ know that, but  _ they _ don't!” She sounded terribly aggrieved. “They're happy to keep my cooped up in here til I get over my seeing block.”

 

Miroku pinched his nose, because sometimes  _ both _ his friends could be complete idiots. “Why do you think you haven't seen anything?”

 

Kagome bit her lip, blue eyes becoming serious. “I think… there's some factor I'm missing. A question, or a choice not made. Something's uncertain. That's the feeling I have.”

 

“Well, until the stars align,” he suggested pleasantly, “why don't you “see” some stuff you have to take care of out of the temple before then?”

 

She visibly brightened. “Miroku, you're a genius!”

 

“And you're hopeless,” he replied. Then, because he was himself, he eyed her up and down. “What are you wearing?” Red and white though it was, it was  _ not  _ the traditional hakama and haori.

 

Plucking at the semi translucent silks, Kagome pouted, red coating her cheeks. “Something about worldly materials interfering with divine gifts. I'll change.”

 

“Aww,” Miroku coaxed, hand threatening. “Celestial maiden suits you. It would also be funny to watch Inuyasha choke on his tongue.”

 

Her eyes narrowed, expression dimming to something unreadable. Evenly, he met her gaze with a guileless smile.

 

Eventually she looked away, lips twitching. “Okay,” she admitted. “Maybe he'd deserve that a little! You haven't been too mean to him have you?”

 

“We haven't spoken much,” Miroku admitted. “You seem...alright?”

 

She sighed and wandered away, disappearing behind a privacy screen. The soft whisper of fabric hitting the floor followed, and the rustles of redressing. “It hasn't been as bad as you might think,” she admitted as she changed. “Obviously, I'm upset. We've had this _ maybe _ forever. But...he wouldn't have done it if he wasn't completely and totally in love with her. And even though I love Inuyasha, that's also more important than maybe?”

 

“I...see,” Miroku replied slowly. 

 

“And...I had an idea,” she admitted, voice small. “I gave him the jewel, you know. I'd never done that before. Something told me that there was an important choice he had to make. If… if he had come back without her, it would have meant he had chosen me, I think.”

 

A lot of things that hadn't quite made sense to him began to line up, especially her performance in the King's throne room a few days ago. But then, he thought about what it meant for everyone else.

 

“Maybe,” Miroku said lowly, “you shouldn't have given him the choice.”

 

She was quiet for a minute before she came back around the dark screen, arms crossed. “You can't love someone and take that kind of choice from them, Miroku,” she replied, eyes on the floor.

 

He knew she was right, but the twinge of shame in his gut wasn't enough to smother the low burning anger. “This war is going to cost us.”

 

Miserably, she nodded. “I feel...awful about that. I wish I had known what kind of choice  _ I  _ was making, but I think...I still would have had to make it.”

 

Miroku sighed, opening the door and tucking her arm into his as she fell in beside him.

 

“Well, Inuyasha did know, when he commited us to war,” he paused. “I'm having a hard time forgiving him. I wish I had your generosity.”

 

“He's happy though, right?” She asked, tone almost wistful.

 

“Yes,” Miroku admitted. “There's a shadow though. And his bride has been rather melancholy, in spite of her efforts to hide it when he's looking.”

 

“She feels guilty.”

 

“Yes.”  _ And she should. _ “Even more than he does.”

 

They paused briefly on the way out so Kagome could have a word with someone, presumably to pass along a message about her delinquent exit.

 

Kagome sighed with happiness as they stepped into the sun, breathing in the sea air deeply. 'You really are a godsend, Miroku.”

 

“Now that you're on the market, I have to remind you of my suitability once in a while,” he teased.

 

Kagome giggled, taking off her shoes and digging her feet into the sand as they walked up the wide expanse of beach. 

 

“So, what brought you down, anyway?” It occurred to her to ask at last.

 

“People are asking about you,” he shot her a wry look. “Frequently and with increasing worry. Even your brother pinned me down.”

 

She winced. “Sorry.”

 

“Well, now that I know you weren't avoiding me, it seems less of a bother.”

 

Her outcry of denial soothed his remaining ruffled feathers. 

 

“He's worried about you too,” Miroku added gently. 

 

Kagome bit her lip. “We didn't exactly have much time to talk, before,” she hedged.

 

“Perhaps you could find the time now?” He suggested mildly, and she nodded, expression weary. 

 

“Yeah, it's just gonna be…” she made a face and he smiled, knowing what she meant.

 

“Well, save the worst for last,” he advised. “Shall we go see Mrs. Higurashi?”

 

Predictably, Kagome groaned loudly. 


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome waited in one of Izaiyoi's smaller gardens after Miroku left to find Inuyasha for her. Sighing deeply, she braced her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hand.

 

It was much easier to pretend you weren't nervous when you were being an oracle and not just your plain self. She wondered if Inuyasha was as nervous about seeing her again as she was about seeing him.

 

Internally she snorted, because _ really _ , did she have to wonder? He was gonna slink in here like a puppy that had torn up the garden, and she would have to be the one to tell him everything was okay, and it all would be perfectly, utterly, par for the course with them.

 

It was funny, she guessed wryly, that things could change so much and still stay exactly the same.

 

Kicking off her sandals and burying her toes in the lush grass, she only had a moment to enjoy the sensation before her hanyou best friend came barreling around the bend in the path, drawing up short at the sight of her.

 

They stared at each other, the air becoming increasingly more awkward as he slowly turned red, clearly fumbling for words and failing.

 

Familiar warm affection took root in her chest and flourished, and it was far easier than she had thought it might be, to smile at him like always. “Inuyasha.”

 

His harsh exhalation preceded the step he took in her direction before he halted, frozen by the shift in dynamic between them; restricted by propriety.

 

She beamed at him, extending out her arms.  _ Don't be silly. _

 

He lunged and crushed her to him, burying his face in her hair as he swung her around. “Kagome-”

 

She reached up and grasped an ear fondly. “You're such an idiot. I'm not mad.”

 

Growling, he stepped back and grasped her by the shoulders. “You're the stupid one! You knew and you…,” he trailed off, growing uncertain. “Kagome, I don't understand any of this.”

 

There was a note of accusation in his tone, and a frail wisp of insecurity she understood all too well. It made her heart lurch guiltily and her eyes turned downwards.

 

“You love her don't you?” Kagome asked softly, grasping a lock of hair nervously and fiddling with it.

 

“Of course I do,” he answered weakly. “I never… I never knew it could be like this.”

 

She looked up and smiled at him wanly, and he seemed to sink in on himself. “Kagome, I-”

 

“Don't be sorry,” she said softly. “It's not your fault...it's not really mine either. This is the way things are supposed to be, maybe yeah?”

 

He stared down at her, torn, and she knew what he was thinking. It was written all over his face. Because even if he wasn't  _ in _ love with her, he had always believed;  _ they _ had always believed-

 

“I'm gonna be okay, Inu. Really,” she promised. “I have my own path to follow, but it doesn't mean we aren't friends forever. I do love you.”

 

Relief and embarrassment coloured his cheeks, and he sat slowly on the garden bench. “I'm still- I can't believe what's happening. Pops- he worked forever for peace and I-”

 

Kagome sat beside him. “You know he isn't angry at you, Inu.”

 

“Shouldn't he be?” Inuyasha growled back lowly. “I've fucked everything. Even if I'd do it again, don't I deserve for  _ someone _ to be angry at me?”

 

“I'm pretty sure Miroku still is,” Kagome offered lamely, and got a weak laugh for her trouble.

 

“Miroku's just angry,” Inuyasha muttered. 

 

That was true. Miroku was as subliminally bitter as he was unusually perceptive. Kagome couldn't blame him, with the ticking time bomb in his hand.

 

Patting his back, Kagome tried to change the subject. “But otherwise things are good right? Kikyo is  _ really _ pretty.”

 

Inuyasha turned and glared at her, but that didn't hid the flush in his cheeks. “Shut up.”

 

“But I'm so flattered, really,” Kagome teased. “Who knew you were so hung up on me all these years?”

 

“Wench-,” he growled, claws extended.

 

Kagome laughed and ducked, rolling off the bench to avoid the strike. “I never would have guessed you gave me the time of day just because I was your  _ type-” _

 

He tackled her, hands pressed against her mouth to shut her up as she laughed, and in spite of himself he began to grin too before flopping to the side and laying in the grass.

 

“You're the worst,” he grumbled, covering his face with his hands. 

 

She grinned too as stared up at the wispy clouds in the sky, happy, at least, that things were still so normal for this little while. 

 

He was quiet for a while as they looked up at the clouds together. 

 

“Kagome?” He asked softly.

 

“Mmm?”

 

“I'm...I'm worried about something. I don't know who else to talk too. I don't think anyone else would understand.”

 

She sat up, looking at him curiously.

 

He swallowed. “It's...it's Kikyo. There's something wrong.”

 

Wariness washed over her. “What are you asking me, Inuyasha?”

 

He sat up too, arms curling over his knees as he stared at the ground. “Something selfish,” he admitted quietly.

 

She stared at him grimly, because even though she would do most anything for him, she wasn't sure she would ever be ready for what she thought he was asking for.

 

When she didn't reply, Inuyasha looked up beseechingly. “Kikyo was a priestess once, before she was married to Naraku. She's like you, some ways. This is killing her. Nothing I say- I don't know who else she'll listen too, Kags. She stares at that jewel all day long, like it's going to swallow her up.”

 

Kagome looked away, glaring at some shrubberies.

 

“Please.” 

 

Exhaling sharply, she stood. “You owe me for this. Bring her here. Right now.”

 

“Now?” He repeated, shocked.

 

“Now or never,” she hissed back, annoyed, and he jolted to his feet. He hesitated only a moment more, but she turned her glare on him and he scurried away.

 

It took several moments before she belatedly realised she should have given herself time to calm down, but there was nothing for it now.

 

Sighing, she sat cross legged in the grass and set about calming herself.

 

~Kikyo~

 

Kikyo blinked as Inuyasha yanked open the door to their bedroom then stared at her in trepidation.

 

“You weren't gone very long,” she told him uncertainty. When the priest had come looking for her mate, wanting him to speak with that Kagome girl, Kikyo had somehow expected him to be gone longer. She had started brushing her hair to stave off the anxious thoughts that had immediately spilled into her mind.

 

Inuyasha hesitated. “Kagome wants to talk to you.”

 

“W-what?” Kikyo managed, heart thundering. Surely she was the last person-

 

“She's got some important stuff to tell you,” Inuyasha replied, eyes darting down to the gem hidden in the folds of her Kimono.

 

“A-alright,” Kikyo agreed, putting down her hairbrush. 

 

She followed him from the room and he slipped his arm into hers. Immediately, she felt much better, the physical reassurance soothing her fraying nerves. 

 

The garden he led her to was pretty, and the short path ended quickly. Kagome looked up as they approached, her face unreadable, and Kikyo's heart sank.

 

Taking her hand, Inuyasha tugged her over to where the girl in red and white sat.

 

With thin lips, Kagome gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. “Scram.”

 

Inuyasha stumbled to a halt. “You want me to go?”

 

“It'll be awkward enough without you lurking,” Kagome told him as Kikyo stood mute. “You'll see her later.”

 

Kikyo tried not to feel betrayed as he winced and shuffled, then nodded. Kissing her cheek, he disappeared back up the bath before she could protest, and Kikyo and Kagome were left alone.

 

Though she was looking down on the sitting girl, Kikyo felt small as they sized each other up. The expression the priestess wore now was nothing like the one she had worn in the throne room, and Kikyo understood that what she had said and done then had nothing to do with how Kagome felt about her personally. She had been serving her King and country, then, no matter how kind she'd been.

 

“Sit down,” Kagome offered finally, patting the grass across from her.

 

Gingerly, Kikyo made her way closer and knelt carefully on the bright greenery, trying not to do any damage to the silks she was wearing.

 

In that moment, she envied the simple white and red linens of Kagome's ensemble. How it seemed like a lifetime, the time between now and when she had been permitted to wear such simple garments.

 

As if Kagome had seen the longing in her face, her visage softened and she sighed. “I understand you have been having trouble adjusting to all this.”

 

A hint of a thoughtful frown twisted Kikyo's mouth before she schooled her face back to placidity. “I'm not sure what you mean. I have been royalty before.”

 

“Not that,” Kagome dismissed. “I mean the...emotional stress. This war. Inuyasha asked me to talk with you.”

 

Kikyo drew back, abruptly stung. “He said you had something important to tell me. If it isn't so, I would rather return to my rooms.” She was halfway to her feet when Kagome gently grabbed her wrist.

 

“Your husband is a sneak, but he means well,” Kagome chided. “Stay. Tell me about Naraku.”

 

“Why?” Kikyo snapped, tearing free. Kagome's eyes widened at the first real emotion Kikyo had shown, and Kikyo glared at her. “I don't even know you.”

 

She turned away, Kagome's tired sigh at her back. 

 

“Who else have you got to tell?” The girl replied quietly.

 

A lump formed immediately in Kikyo's throat, drawing her up short. Unexpectedly, she felt the weight of truths she could never say to Inuyasha swell up behind her tongue. She knew how deeply it would cut him to know the extent of her suffering. 

 

Her limbs felt weak, looking back at the silently watchful girl with her face. Kagome was a stranger. Kagome would never love her enough to selflessly carry Kikyo's grief...and maybe that was enough to loosen the cage around her voice.

 

“I...I wouldn't know where to start,” Kikyo admitted, crossing her arms to hide the tremble.

 

Kagome patted the grass again. “Then don't start with him. Start at the beginning.”

 

“...I had a sister, once,” Kikyo confessed.

 

~Edo~

 

The journey to another Kingdom was nothing, to one such as him. 

 

Yokai whipped around him, concentrated as pure power and light, yet so perfectly controlled it dissipated at his command the moment his feet touched stone. 

 

Palace guards looked sideways at him, and at each other as he strode from the brightly lit courtyard, but no one made any move to stop his advance. Naraku had told them to expect him, he supposed. Still, it showed the spider for the fool he was.  _ Arrogant, and far too comfortable in his web. _

 

The sprawling city state of Edo was impressive, if you discounted the sensation of filth that prickled at his skin. The city looked clean, but that could not conceal that at its core it rotted and festered, the cloying scent of fear and despair underlying its outward beauty. This city reflected truthfully how Sesshomaru perceived Naraku, and mere moments in this place was almost enough to make him reconsider.

 

That, and the horrendously jarring drums that made his ears want to bleed. Sesshomaru grit his teeth as he moved towards the center of dark swirling yokai that pervaded his senses, white silk billowing under the force of his stride.

 

Instinct bid him to similarly unleash his tightly controlled energy; to quash the insipid and unmannerly show of oppression that the spider subjected his visitors to. There was no cause for such a showing except to openly mock those Naraku perceived powerless to defy him, but to respond in kind would defeat the purpose of this meeting altogether.

 

That the spider might be provoking him deliberately occured to Sesshomaru too, and that was enough to hold his temper in check. That Naraku desired this alliance as little as he did was obvious, and Sesshomaru wondered at Kagura's ignorance. That her own valuableness to Naraku escaped her was something that baffled him; of all the Kings and Queens Naraku had conquered and brought under his empire, Kagura's lands and her own power was by far the most extensive. She was the only one of any of them who had Sesshomaru's respect, and possibly his friendship.

 

Nevertheless,  _ her _ desires drove this meeting, and little though he cared for her ambitions where he was concerned, it was telling enough that Naraku had bent to her will.

 

Sesshomaru did not address the yokai that stood casually outside Naraku's throne room, passing them with as little notice as he had given the guards outside, though these were more powerful. They made no attempt to hide their sneers as he did so, and it amused him. 

 

“My my my,” his quarry drawled lazily from his perch upon a ludicrously decorated diaz. “Prince Sesshomaru, what a pleasant...surprise.”

 

“Naraku,” Sesshomaru replied, returning the slight on his title by dropping the spider's altogether.

 

Naraku's lips quirked. “I do have to admit,” he smiled, propping his chin on his hand, “I was quite sure you wouldn't come.”

 

Sesshomaru said nothing, staring back cooly until Naraku at last stood, descending the stairs.

 

“This way,” the spider beckoned as he passed. “We shall adjourn to my private audience room.”

 

For all that Naraku had professed himself surprised, the room was already refreshed with hot tea that did please Sesshomaru. At the very least, he would have a tolerable scent to hold close to his nose.

 

They sat, and in the absence of a servant each poured their own tea, taking turns ignoring the other.

 

“So,” Naraku acknowledged eventually, sipping at his tea. “What an interesting opportunity this is for you.”

 

The mocking edge of his tone was annoying, but not nearly so effective as he might have hoped. Sesshomaru's brow arched as he sipped his own cup. “Not nearly,” the inu yokai returned, “as a foolish a venture as it is for you.”

 

Naraku's smile became fixed. “My disagreements with the west have been long standing, and they have never gained any ground in our conflict.”

 

Sesshomaru leaned back, declining to smirk at that particular moment. “Trade embargos, minor skirmishes, and land disputes,” Sesshomaru listed. “Your disagreements to this point have been paltry, and dogs are not so grasping as one such as you.”

 

Naraku's eyes gleamed. “ _ Some _ dogs are not so grasping,” he corrected tauntingly, and Sesshomaru tensed.

 

“The west is  _ mine _ my birth,” Sesshomaru replied coldly. 

 

“Of course,” Naraku deferred obsequiously, “I have not forgotten. It is, after all, why we are here.”

 

Sesshomaru stared at him coolly across the table.

 

“What is it you propose?” he acknowledged finally, the tight hold on his temper beginning to fray.

 

“My proposal is simple. You fight with my army, leading whatever little following I'm sure you've accumulated on your cozy coastline. You assist in defeating both your brother and your father, and when both are dead and I have my wife back, I sail home, and the west is yours. My treaty agreement with Toga that your wretch of a brother broke stands, and we both proceed to pretend the other doesn't exist.”

 

“The Inu no Taisho is mine,” Sesshomaru replied shortly. This condition was non negotiable. “The treaty?” Sesshomaru held out his hand, and the spider drew a heavy wooden box from under the table.

 

Sesshomaru read the extensive documents silently, notating those clauses which seemed acceptable and which did not. Of the later, there were relatively few, and he did acknowledge the impressiveness of the document. It put both rulers on fairly even footing. “This is passable. Any further negotiations can be addressed at a later date. There is however, the matter of keeping it.”

 

“Is my word so insufficient?” Naraku smirked, cup to his lips as he drank deeply.

 

“I trust your  _ word,”  _ Sesshomaru replied dryly, “about as far as I trust an  _ earthworm _ .”

 

“I have considered the problem,” Naraku admitted lazily, refilling his teacup. “I think I have discovered a suitable solution.”

 

Curious, in spite of himself, Sesshomaru waited while the spider amused himself with his refreshment.

 

“The best method,” Naraku drawled at last, “is mutual insurance.”

 

A brief frown marred the inuyoukai face. “You have no hostages you value enough to hold you, and I have none to offer.”

 

“Oh,” Naraku waved idly. “Nothing so crass. I had a happier event in mind. After all, what good is a kingdom without a lineage to carry it on?”

 

Sesshomaru tensed, and Naraku leaned forward. “Wouldn't you agree?”

 

“...I see,” Sesshomaru acknowledged. “However-”

 

“Come now, Prince,” Naraku stirred his tea slowly. “Surely you admit, there are none more suitable. There are no Inu yokai of adequate power to match you, and elemental yokai breed true.”

 

It  _ was  _ true, and admittedly, one of the few reasons Sesshomaru had not rebuffed her completely. Kagura  _ was  _ suitable, their friendship notwithstanding. He had, however, been disinclined to consider anyone before he won back his throne. 

 

“How you benefit, however, is not clear,” Sesshomaru sidestepped. “You are not so foolish to believe I would permit my mate to be sworn to another.

 

“Sworn, not sworn,” Naraku shrugged. “Kagura is as loyal to me as she is desirous of you. And rewarding her by arranging this will only make her more so. So you see, prince, the stone that will weigh our agreement down is perfectly balanced. Kagura will not plot with me against you, yet nor will she permit her mate to turn against me. The West, Edo and Hokkaido will remain allies evermore.”

 

The plan was clever, and in truth, there was no one Sesshomaru considered more tolerable that the wind witch. Eternity with her, he knew, would not be so tiresome, even if his affection would never be equal to hers.

 

But...he was still undecided. 

 

“Victory first,” he found himself saying. “And should she renege, I will not press her.”

 

Naraku smiled, unconcerned. There was no possible reason he could see she should do so. “Then do we have an agreement?”

 

“I will consider.”

 

“A drink?” Naraku invited, now that negotiations were complete. 

 

Sesshomaru stood. “I think not.”

 

“How shall I receive your answer?” Naraku called after him.

 

“If you have my answer,” Sesshomaru answered shortly, “you shall know it.”

 

Naraku smiled in the wake of the inu's departure. Though Sesshomaru was less transparent than most, he was still a dog, and had no talent for subterfuge. His ship would sail the same as all the others under Naraku's banner, and there was little now that could stand in the spiders way. 

 

With Toga's spawn at his disposal, victory was all but assured, and Naraku could almost kiss Kagura for the cards she had put in his hand.

 

Soon, his beautiful, treacherous wife would be back in his arms, and  _ oh,  _ the fun they would have together. 

 

Really, he should thank her for giving him new inspiration for the game that had grown so wearisome between them. Her first sweet attempts at affection for him had pleased him; the slowly growing disgust she had tried to hide had amused him; and the eventual quiet loathing she had succumbed to had made taking her to bed all the sweeter. Destroying her happiness one final time would surely surpass it all.

  
  


~The Western Isle~

 

“At first,” Kikyo admitted quietly, after sharing her most grievous memories. “I tried to love him. They put me on a boat, and told me it was my divine duty to be a queen, and I believed them, but I had always wanted to marry for love.”

 

Though the garden was still warm, the sun had been sinking slowly for hours as Kikyo had spilled every truth she had to the quiet priestess.

 

“He pretended to be tender with me, in the beginning,” she sighed. “But when I started to notice how he ruled, and try to influence him to be kinder, he began to mock me, and by the time I realised he deserved my defiance, my power was long gone.”

 

There was quiet between them for a time, lost as they were in their own thoughts. 

 

“Kikyo?” Kagome asked quietly, staring off into the colourfully changing clouds. “What was it like for you, as a priestess?”

 

“Peaceful, I suppose, in its own way. But I wasn't usual,” Kikyo sighed. “I was quite powerful then. Things came to me easily, and I never had to train as hard as some of the others. If I hadn't been so naive, perhaps…”

 

Kagome nodded absently, as if confirming something to herself, then turned towards her as she sat up more fully. “...what makes you think you lost your power, Kikyo?”

 

Kikyo blinked in absolute confusion. “What kind of question is that?” She managed, finally. “I married. I gave up the way of the priestess, sacrificing the purity of my body. That is the way things have always been, between the gods and men.”

 

The other girl was quiet for a moment, and Kikyo recoiled in surprise when Kagome reached for her, drawing the jewel out of her kimono by the chain.

 

“May I?” Kagome gestured, and Kikyo hesitantly allowed the chain to be drawn over her head.

 

Just as before, the jewel did not dim as Kagome held it, and blue eyes rose to meet Kikyo's own.

 

“Inuyasha… Inuyasha told me that the jewel was fueled by a wish.”

 

Kagome simply nodded.

 

“He seemed surprised… that I didn't have to wish to make it work.”

 

“Ah,” Kagome offered a sad smile. “Well, that is probably because we share the same wish. But I don't think your power is gone, Kikyo. I don't think the jewel would shine for someone that couldn't touch the divine.”

 

A sense of loss, cutting and cruel, rose in her veins. “I think I would know,” Kikyo said cooly, “If something so precious hadn't been stolen from me.”

 

“Give me your hands,” Kagome rebutted, ignoring her statement. Without waiting for Kikyo's consent, she put the jewel in them and closed her own hands around Kikyo's, holding her fast. Between them, the Shikon pulsed, and to Kikyo's shock, the gleam grew, suffusing them in pink light that glowed ever more blinding.

 

“Kikyo,” Kagome whispered, the song of the jewel flowing between them. “I have never met the gods that put this jewel in my body...but if there is one thing I believe…”

 

Her hands slipped from Kikyo's, and the light faded as she stared solemnly into her eyes. 

 

Kagome's gaze burned with so much surety that Kikyo recalled, at last, that this girl was called oracle. 

 

“Purity,” Kagome promised, and Kikyo  _ wanted  _ \- more than  _ anything _ , to believe- “has  _ never _ been judged so fleetingly.”


End file.
